The Missing Ones
by freedomwriter11
Summary: Have you ever wondered why their are so many male shinobi but almost no kunoichi? This is my story about the "missing kunoichi". Mostly OCs with established characters to come later. Rating may change in future. Please R&R!
1. Prologue

This is the prologue. Chapter 1 is right after. Please R&R!

Sacrifice. Duty. Success.

This is our code. Our M.O.

You do not stray from this code. You do not bend the rules.

This code is in place to remind us of who we are and who we stand for. We are not regular shinobi. We are not special jounin. We are not ANBU.

We are the support of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. We are the second shadows. The second shadows of every man, woman, and child. Always following, never leading. We fix the mistakes. We tie up the loose ends. Giving everything, never taking.

To our old friends, we are figments of memory. A quick glance of déjà vu. We have severed all of our ties to the outside world. And now, all we have are each other.

We are the Red Corps.


	2. Chapter 1

Tick. Tick. Tick.

I let the small silver watch swing like a pendulum from my fingers. The face of the watch glints in the weak moonlight and I can barely make out the figures enclosed in the photo I placed on the inside. The girl looks happy in the picture. So does the boy. Their smiles beam out towards the photographer, in the back one of their friends has thrown up the classic "rabbit-ears" behind the boy's head. It is a happier time.

"Sarami!" The shrill call brings me back to reality and I snap the watch shut, shoving it in my pocket. I look up and find myself back in the densely wooded area. The trees loom black and still around me. The sliver of the waxing moon in the sky is barely enough to illuminate the stray clouds in the dark sky. There are no stars tonight. Fitting for the task at hand.

"What is it Reika?" I call back, striding towards the voice. I round a tall tree and see a small fire flickering in the middle of the clearing. Someone is crying softly. I look over and see a line of four men sitting on the ground with their backs to the fire.

"Did you retrieve it?" I ask Reika who is standing near the fire.

"Of course." She holds out her hand to reveal the small wooden box.

"So why did you call me over?" I growl, feeling a headache coming on.

"We wanted to know what you wanted to do with the POWs." Tomoko speaks up, gesturing to the line of men.

I frown. "What does this look like, a war zone?"

I hear Natsuye snicker slightly from somewhere in the darkness.

"There are no prisoners." I turn away, rubbing my temples.

"So does this mean we can go?" I hear one of the men whisper to another.

I feel a slight breeze as Masumi and Akari rush from the darkness and onto the group. There is the sharp click of kunai being drawn and a few strangled cries from within the group. Then nothing.

"Get rid of the evidence." Natsuye commands.

"Fire Ball no jutsu." Tomoko whispers and a great light erupts behind me. I turn to see the large sphere of flames engulf the group.

"Well, now that that's over. Let's get this back to the village." I turn and soon feel four other shadows fall into step behind me.

Sacrifice. Duty. Success.


	3. Chapter 2

**New chapter! Please R&R. Thanks**!

There is but dead silence as we walk through the forest. I can slightly smell charred wood and the sickly scent of burnt flesh and hair. No one speaks as we travel along and I am soon sucked back into my dreamscape.

"_Sar! Sar!"_

_I turn and smile brightly at the group of boys running towards us. We all had the day off of missions and in turn we decided to take a picnic._

"_Did we really have to invite them?" Natsuye grumbles beside me, tossing her honey blonde hair over her shoulder._

"_It's the nice thing to do. Besides, they would have just bothered us otherwise." They finally reach us and greetings are exchanged all around. We make our way down to the large tree by the pond and spread out the blankets._

"_Well look who it is. The lovebirds decided to join us." Aoba chortles and we turn to look up the hill. Hayate and Yugao are making their way down to meet us and I can already see the blush radiating from Yugao's cheeks._

"_Oh can it Aoba!" Tomoko punches him on the arm._

"_Sheesh Tommi I was just kidding." He looks genuinely offended but she just rolls her eyes._

"_Thanks for coming guys!" I say to Hayate as they sit down on the worn plaid blanket._

_We contentedly eat lunch for an hour before Kotetsu hops up and strips his shirt. "Time for a swim!" He yells and soon Genma and Izumo have joined him. They unloop the thick swinging rope from the tree and let it swing out to rest above the water._

_ "Psh, you guys go ahead. I'm not ruining my hair." Akari tugs her fingers through her bright red mohawk of a hairstyle. Kotetsu just makes a face before grabbing the rope. Like a pack of crazed wolves the boys leap one by one into the glittering water of the pond._

_ "Come on ladies! You're missing it! You too Hayate!" Genma yells as he tries to push Raidou's head under the water._

_ "Go on." Yugao says to Hayate who somewhat reluctantly stands and takes off his shirt. "It'll be good for you to exercise your lungs."_

_ He smiles at Yugao before ambling down to the banks._

_ "Is it getting better?" I ask Yugao who shrugs._

"_There are good and bad days. Today's a good day though." She smiles weakly at me._

_ "All right that's enough of this…" I hear Aoba shout and soon all of the boys have converged on our little circle. I fell wet arms engulf me and I am thrown onto someone's shoulder before we catapult back towards the lake. The same fate has happened to the rest of the girls._

_ "Raidou! Let me go!" I pound his back through my laughter and soon I find myself splashing through the golden water of the pond, laughing with the rest of my friends. I find myself thinking that nothing can go wrong, wishing that I could stay in this exact moment forever._

But the dream fades to a completely different scene. One where I am gripping the rails to a stretcher as it is pushed through the white halls of the hospital. There is blood. So much blood. It is slicked all the way up to my elbows as I press a scarlet red towel to Raidou's face.

_"Just hold on Rai, you'll be fine." I scream as medical-nin rush around me. I lift the towel from his face and cannot even distinguish his eyes. I wipe the blood away and soon his dark eyes, wide with pain and disbelief, meet mine and I am forced to look away. He cannot see me cry. I reluctantly let go of the stretcher as they wheel it into surgery. Natsuye has come up behind me and placed a gentle hand on my arm._

_ "We'll have to wipe his memory you know."_

_I shake my head, the tears can no longer be held back._

_ "I'm sorry Sar. But you have to let go."_

And so I did.

I snap back to my senses as the wind shifts slightly. I tense, quickly drawing a kunai from my belt.

"Look alive girls" I whisper and they melt back into their positions.

I see movement flicker to my left and with a swift flick of the wrist I hear the kunai fly into a tree.

"Good observation" I relax as three new figures approach our group.

"Yukie-san" I nodded my head to the tallest figure. Her silvering brown hair gleamed under the moon.

"I trust the mission was a success?"

"It always is."

"Good. And remember Sarami, do not be so careless in the use of your masks. They serve a purpose." Her eyes glint at me from under her porcelain mask.

"Right." I sigh inwardly as I take my mask out of my pack and tie it around my face. I was the Wolf. What use was it to have these masks if the only people who ever saw us without the masks ended up dead later on?

The rest of my team has done the same, and now the faces of a Deer, Tiger, Lynx, Hawk, and Rabbit stare back at me.

"I will remember more in the future."

"Good." And in a blink, Yukie and her team are gone.

My breath rasps under my mask. "Let's get going." I say to my team before exploding from my spot on the ground and up into the trees.

We reach the village in no time at all. Only a few lights flicker in the shops as we scale the wall. To be safe we trace our ways through the back streets and mangy cats scatter from my path as we walk down the alleys. The only sounds are coming from the bars, where people wallow endlessly in their sake and their regrets. We finally reach the Hokage Residence and I tap three times on the door. It is opened slightly to reveal a tired-looking Shizune.

"Ah Sarami-san, all is well I hope?" She asks, opening the door wider and ushering us inside.

"Of course. We retrieved the…object." I replied, flashing the box from underneath my red cloak.

"Good. Tsunade-sama will be relieved."

All of the sudden the peace is shattered by a tremendous pounding from a room further inside the building.

"Shizune! Where is my drink?"

Shizune sighs deeply. "This way please. She keeps asking for a drink and I bring her tea but she won't drink it."

"I don't think she means that kind of drink…" Akari pipes up from the group and Shizune glances back towards her.

"Let's see if this box will satisfy her for now." I suggest and we finally enter the office. Papers are strewn all over the room among countless boxes and piles of books. Three cups of cold tea sit on the counter and a small pig cowers in the corner of the room.

"Tsunade-sama, Sarami's team has returned." Shizune bows quickly and we file into the room.

The Hokage glances up from the pile of papers on her desk and glowers at us, "Please tell me you were successful."

"We do not know failure."

Tsunade laughs sharply but when we do not laugh along, it dies in her throat.

"I would expect nothing less than streamlined perfection from your team, Sarami." She says as she taps lightly on the top of the box.

"Anything for Konohagakure." I remark drily. My eyes swam with exhaustion.

"You look tired. This is an order, take a break. I have both Yuzuki's and Shunka's teams out right now. You deserve this."

I open my mouth to protest but Natsuye lays a hand on my shoulder. "Thank you Tsunade-sama. We will report in a few days."

I wait before we are making our way out of the building before protesting, "She needs all the help she can get."

Tomoko shakes her head, "Come on Sar. She will call on us if needed. You need to relax, you're about to collapse."

"Well now that we are off, I can relax." I say bitterly to her and she rolls her eyes in annoyance.

We are finally outside the building and I take a deep breath of the cool night air.

"Stay in touch." I say to the others before we part ways to go to our separate apartments. Only Natsuye remains.

"Don't be so hard on her. She's just worried about you." She says softly.

I nod, "I know but, it's not like we're genin anymore."

"No, but that would be nice." She smiles and I laugh lightly. "Yes, not having to worry about anything but rescuing some lady's cat."

"Good night Natty" I say to her before turning away to make my way to my apartment.

"Why do you still have it?" She asks and I freeze.

"What are you talking about?" I turn back to her, trying to look confused though I know exactly what she is talking about.

"The silver pocket watch. The one with the picture in it."

I swallow roughly, "It's my last hold Natty. My last hold on reality."

She shakes her head, "We are living in reality Sarami. The Red Corps are our reality."

I slowly pull the watch out of my pocket and let it glint in the moonlight. I pop open the clasp and stare hard at the smiling faces frozen forever in time.

"It's what you wish life could be like. Like a dream." She says, almost with a convincing edge to her voice.

I smile slightly before snapping the watch closed. "I'm not even sure what is reality and what is dreaming anymore."


	4. Chapter 3

I finally reach my apartment, my conversation with Natsuye still ringing in my head. It's not easy to let go of a memory that is too precious and fragile to you. The pocket watch represented that memory and the only way to take that memory from me was to pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

I fumble in my pack for my key before unlocking the flaky green door. Inside the air is stuffy and humid, I hadn't stepped foot in it for over two weeks. I open the windows and let the cool air inside. It did feel good to be home. I took a quick shower before collapsing on my crumpled bed. I had also neglected to make it before I left but it didn't matter for I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow.

* * *

><p><em>"Well that was easy!" I say, tying my new headband over my forehead. The silver plate caught the sun and it made golden spots on the ground.<em>

_ "Yeah! Now we're officially genin!" Reika claps her hands together._

_ "I wish we were genin too!" I turn and see Masumi pouting, her friend Akari stands next to her with an equally disappointed look._

_ "Don't worry! You guys are still in the Academy. Just another year and you'll be out too!" Reika says brightly and they smile slightly. Reika always had the power to make people feel better._

_ "Hey! You guys gotten your teams yet?" Genma waves us over to where a large group has gathered by a sheet of paper hanging on the door to the Academy. People exclaim in joy as they see who is on their teams. I finally push my way up to the front and eagerly scan the printed names._

_ "Reika! We're on the same team!" I shout to her and she gives me a thumbs-up sign._

_ "Who else?"_

_ I quickly scan the list again, hoping that one of our other friends would be with us but my heart quickly drops when I read the third name. "It's Aoki."_

_ "Oh… okay!" She says after a quick pause. I scan the group for Aoki. I finally spot him and he makes his way over to me._

_ "So we're on the same team?"_

_ "Yeah I guess." I take a deep breath. Aoki had been one of the most annoying kids in the Academy. Always trying to prove everyone wrong and usually ended up putting his foot in his big mouth._

_ "With Reika-chan?"_

_ "Yep, that's me!" She says brightly, shooting me a warning look. "Don't be mean" it seemed to say._

_ "I wonder who our sensei is." I say._

_ "I think I can answer to that." I hear a cool voice behind me and turn to see Hisoka walking towards our group, her long blonde hair billowing out behind her._

_ "Hisoka-san! I mean sensei!" I say. She was one of the best medical-nin in the village and I looked up to her._

_ "I'm glad I have you two on my team." She nods to me and Reika and quick introductions are made._

_ Suddenly Natsuye runs up. "Sar! Who's on your team?"_

_ "Reika and Aoki" I motion to them and she nods._

_ "Cool. I'm with Genma and Raidou."_

_I feel my insides curl with jealousy. I had been nursing a crush on Raidou for a while and was extremely disappointed when he wasn't on my team. Now my best friend got to be on his team. I secretly wished I could swap Aoki for Raidou, but that would be __**so**__ rude as Reika would say._

_ "Well maybe we'll team up sometime!" I say nicely and she smiles back._

_ "Okay! Got to go!"_

_ "Come on now, let's start training." Hisoka-sensei says and we follow her out of the yard._

* * *

><p><em> "Our first B-rank mission! And we're still genin!" Aoki exclaims as we head out of the village.<em>

_ "Don't get too excited." Hisoka-sensei says in a soothing voice. "We just need to deliver these medical supplies that Sunagakare are in need of."_

_ "But it's still cool!"_

_Reika and I exchange a look. It had been two years since we had been on a team with Aoki but we still hadn't got used to him. I shouldered the backpack full of syringes and fluids. A severe drought and sandstorm had settled in on the Land of Wind and supplies were low. We were supposed to deliver supplies for people suffering from dehydration and heat stroke._

_ We were nearing the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Valleys._

_ "Keep your heads up everyone. Even though this is a peaceful mission and we should have direct passage through to the Land of Wind, we have warred many times with the Land of Valleys and they still may be suspicious of us. Just keep an eye out for patrols." Hisoka says to us before turning back onto the path. We move back into our positions and I frequently scan the trees. They grow sparser and sparser as we walk further from the Land of Fire and sand soon replaces the grass. I take a quick glance and see a small reflection behind a charred pine tree. It almost looks like the glint of a mirror._

_ "Hisoka-sensei? What's that?" I point to the tree and she turns her head to look in the same direction._

_ I am not prepared for what happened next. A large shuriken had come flying out of the trees and effectively lodged itself in Hisoka's back and neck. Needles immediately fly from all directions onto us and I dive to the ground. I feel running footsteps and immediately gauge that there are four shinobi. I leap out of the sand and whip an arrow out of my quiver and launch it to the nearest target. It impales a large man and I pull out another one to let it fly into the eye of another. I hear the whistle of a kunai by my ear before it clangs to the ground after bouncing off of Reika's sword. She launches one of her own kunai into the trees where I hear it connect with soft human flesh._

_ Three down, one to go._

_ I scan the trees quickly; I do not know where Hisoka-sensei or Aoki are. A leaf flutters down by my face and I look up to see a shadow flit from one branch to another. I carefully aim an arrow up into the trees and close my eyes before releasing it. In the next moment the body lands at my feet. It's headband is inscribed with the Tanigakure insignia. So much for peaceful relations._

_ "Are you hurt?" I hear Reika ask and I shake my head._

_ "Where's Hisoka-sensei? And Aoki?" I ask, fear rising in my throat. I look down on the ground and see a long trail of blood leading off of the path and into the trees. I follow it and a few feet away Hisoka is leaning against a rock, the shuriken still lodged in her side. I collapse by her side and begin o perform healing jutsu on her. It is weak for my hands are shaking uncontrollably._

_ "Don't worry sensei. We'll fix you then get you back to the village." I try to keep my voice level. She weakly puts up a blood-soaked hand and pushes my hands away, breaking the jutsu._

_ "Look at me Sarami."_

_I bring my tear-filled eyes up to meet hers. Her amber eyes are glazed over in pain._

_ "When they call on you… do not refuse. Help us. Fight for us." She says weakly, her breath barely escaping her throat._

_ "What do you mean sensei? You're going to be fine…" I take her hand in my own and squeeze it. She shakes her head slowly in response and I hear her heartbeat fade. The tears streak down my face and I bite my lip to keep from wailing._

_ "Sarami! Sarami!"_

_I am snapped back to reality with Reika's bloodcurdling screams. I race through the trees to find her and I finally see her standing in a small clearing._

_ "Reika we have to get back, Hisoka-sensei… she's… she's dead… we need help!" But my pleas trail off as I take in Reika's shocked face. I finally reach her and look to where she is looking._

_ Aoki's feet hang off of the ground, a long wooden stake has been pierced through his chest and is pinning him to the tree. His white hands grasp the stake as if he was trying to pull it out; his eyes are widened in shock. And that's when I know it was all over._

_I wake later in the hospital; I do not remember how I got there. My mind feels numb and I can tell they have me hooked up to something to calm my anxiety. I hear a door open and close and I call out, my voice hoarse, "Nurse, can I have some water?"_

_ The curtain is opened then drawn shut again but the person who turns to me is not a nurse. She is dressed in a completely black body suit with a scarlet red cloak over the top. She slowly unties her porcelain mask shaped like a cat to reveal an older kunoichi. I had never seen her before._

_ "Sarami. My name is Shigemi. You do not know me but your sensei, Hisoka, recommended you for our program. We are willing to accept you if you wish."_

_ "Are you ANBU?" I ask._

_ She smiles slightly. "No, we are better than that. I am part of an organization called the Red Corps. We take highly specialized kunoichi only."_

_ I pause in my response and my face must have shown a look of apprehension for she smiles reassuringly._

_ "Of course I will give you time to think it over, with you being in the hospital and all. Here is my card." She hands me a small index card died to a deep red. All it reads is an address._

_ She ties her mask back onto her face and draws the curtain open, "It would be a way to honor your sensei's wishes." And then she is gone._

I wake up shaking, my hair is matted to my sweaty face and the sheets lay tangled around my legs. And so began the journey that was never going to end. I wiped the sweat from my eyes and pulled the blankets back around me, trying to calm my racing heart.

I almost float off into sleep before my eyes fly open again. A shadow has fallen across the moon and there is a subtle tap, tap on the glass of my window.


	5. Character List

**Here is a list of characters of my story, The Missing Ones. It's to try and help everyone (including myself :)) keep track of the characters. These are all original characters I made up in my mind and I apologize if there are any similarities to the characters of another story on FanFiction or an officially published story. Any other characters mentioned that are not on this list probably belong to **_**Naruto**_** and those characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto. This list will continue to be updated when new characters are presented and more information is revealed:**

Here are the names and some basic info on my characters:

Sarami- she is my main character. Her name means "beautiful sky". The story is told mainly from her perspective. She has shoulder-length black hair and bright blue eyes. She is her team leader and an established medical-nin. She is mostly calm and collected but is hiding feelings of regret and longing for her old life. Notable weapon: a black bow with eight black arrows.

Natsuye- Her name means "summer/ summer painting". She has very long honey-blonde hair and amber eyes. She is Sarami's best friend and also a medical-nin. She is very kind to everyone and very confident. She likes to prove herself right and can be very convincing. Notable weapon: long wooden stake she carries by hand.

Reika- Her name means "lovely petal". She has long light brown hair usually worn in a loose ponytail and light green eyes. She is very kind and friendly to everyone. She does not like to pick fights and sometimes can be easily persuaded or pushed into doing things. Notable weapon: A long sword carried on her back.

Tomoko- Her name means "wise child". She has very long straight black hair usually worn in a high ponytail and black eyes. She also wears glasses at night and when she needs to read something. She is very self-confident and doesn't easily go along with any plan but her own. Can be boastful in some situations. Notable weapon: large flat sword worn on her back.

Akari- Her name means "light or brightness". She has orange-red hair worn in a funky "mohawk" style and dark blue eyes. She is most noticeable for her piercings; she has a nose ring, a tongue piercing, and six piercings in her ears. She has the genuine "I don't give a rat's a** attitude about anything". Her frequent motto is "I know exactly how you feel, I just don't care." Very calm and confident in battle. Notable weapon: Shiny black wires she keeps wrapped on her forearms. Can be unstrung and easily wrapped around an object.

Masumi- Akari's best friend. Her name means "purity". She has shorter brown hair, usually worn in curls and wide dark brown eyes. She is the innocent one of the group. She does not like to pick fights or state her opinion on anything. She usually goes along with whatever Akari does. She is very fast though and is a very good tracker.

Yuzuki- the newest member of the Red Corps. Her name means "fragile moon". She has dark curly hair, olive-colored skin, and dark brown eyes. She is very timid and shy around the other members but is very confident in combat. Notable weapon: two knives of identical shape and length.

Shunka- An older kunoichi. Her name means "high flower". She is the leader/coordinator of the Red Corps. She has dark silver hair and dark brown eyes. She is very assertive and a good leader. She never loses her composure under pressure.

Yukie- An older kunoichi. Her name means "happiness". She has silvering brown hair and hazel eyes. She is very experienced and has a dry, sarcastic sense of humor. She does not like being told what to do.

Kaede- An older kunoichi. Her name means "maple". She has auburn colored hair and hazel eyes. Kaede is very quiet and withdrawn. She is the most reclusive of the Red Corps members and no one knows much about her. Very confident in combat.

Hisoka- Sarami and Reika's sensei when they were genin. She had long blonde hair and was an established medical-nin. She was very calm and respectful of herself and of others. Everyone enjoyed being around her. She was killed in combat when Sarami and Reika were still genin. She was a member of the early Red Corps.

Shigemi- a member of the Red Corps. Not much is known about her. She has bluish-grey hair and black eyes. She was the Red Corps member who inducted Sarami.

Aoki- a young boy who was the third member of Hisoka's team with Reika and Sarami. He too was killed in combat when he was still a genin.

* * *

><p>Teams in the Red Corps:<p>

Team 1: Shunka, Kaede, Yukie

Team 2: Sarami, Natsuye, Reika, Tomoko

Team 3: Masumi, Akari, Yuzuki

Team 2 and Team 3 constantly combine or exchange members


	6. Chapter 4

I quickly leap out of bed and cross to the window, glancing warily out onto the sloped roof. I unlock the hinges and inch the window up to peer outside. Crouched on the roof is a figure clad in a red cloak and a porcelain mask shaped like an owl. Her dark red hair billows out behind her and her eyes glisten.

"Kaede-san." I say, now genuinely concerned. Kaede will never come to assign missions unless it is urgent.

She nods, "Sarami-san. I have an assignment for you." She passes me a rolled up scroll.

"Should I take my team?" I ask, rubbing sleep from my eyes.

"No, take Yuzuki. I have told her to meet you tomorrow morning. This mission will be good for her, she needs a strong leader."

"Ok, thank you Kaede-san." I move to pull the window back down.

"A static mind is a dangerous thing Sarami." She says quietly and I freeze.

"What do you mean?" I ask, looking back out of the window.

"I think you know exactly what I mean." She says, her eyes unwavering. And then she is gone.

I pull the window back closed and shiver, the air is suddenly much colder. I quickly unroll the scroll and glance over the instructions. A border patrol had returned from their dawn patrol with two shinobi missing. When they were questioned about the disappearances they insisted that the two missing-nin were never in their group. They had gone missing near the border by the Land of Hot Water. Foul play was suspected. I rolled the roll back up and stuffed it into my pack. I climbed slowly back into bed but sleep never returned.

The next morning the entire village is alive with activity. I made my way slowly through the shadows of the back alleys until I could scale the wall. I wound through the trees before sighting Yuzuki standing in the shadows of a large oak tree. Her white mask shaped like a butterfly glinted in the spotted sunlight and she quickly straightened herself as she saw me approach.

"Sarami-san." She quickly bows and I smile slightly to myself.

"No need to be so formal Yuzuki." I hand her the scroll to read.

"But… Akari-san told me I need to be very respectful to my superiors."

I snorted, "Oh did she? And I'm sure that she sees herself as your superior. Don't worry. We are all on the same level here."

She relaxes slightly and scans quickly over the scroll.

"What do you think happened?" She asks after handing it back to me.

"One of two possibilities: There was some tension within the patrol and they decided it would be a good idea to get rid of two of their comrades or our missing-nin were snatched from the group and then the rest of the patrol had their short-term memories wiped. Either way, things should get interesting."

She nods quickly in response. "Let's go." I quickly tie my mask onto my face before taking off into the forest.

* * *

><p>"Naruto! We're supposed to be sorting these files! Not reading them!" Sakura sighed, exasperated. She was the one getting most of the work done. Tsunade has assigned them to the daunting task of sorting the files of 500 plus shinobi into their respective file cabinets. A job she was too lazy to do herself.<p>

"Oh come on Sakura-chan! These are really fun!" Naruto was sitting in a messy pile of opened files, eagerly leafing through the ANBU files. "It's a bummer that their pictures only show them with their masks. Don't you want to know who they are?"

Sakura shrugged. "Well yeah but they're identities are protected because they are in ANBU."

Naruto threw the files into the ANBU pile and picked up another pile. He opened the top folder and leafed through its contents.

"Psh, Kakashi-sensei put in here under "Interests" that he likes to take his dogs for leisurely walks. More like he likes to read perverted books!" Naruto tossed the pile into the jounin pile. Sakura only rolled her eyes and opened up one of the drawers in Tsunade's desk. She pulled out even more files but before she slid the drawer shut, a matte grey box resting in the bottom of the drawer caught her eye.

She pulled it out. It was about the size of a large book and when Sakura shook it, she could hear the undeniable rustle of papers.

"Naruto! I wonder what's in here!" She held up the box to the light. She tried prying it open but it was sealed shut. By this time Naruto had ventured over and was watching Sakura struggle to open the box.

"I wonder what's so important in there that Tsunade-sama would want to lock it up."

Sakura set the box down on the desk and they stared at it. Suddenly a mischievous glint entered Naruto's eyes and he grabbed the box off of the desk. He then snatched up a silver letter opener from the desk and slid the tip into the grooves of the box. He pried on the box for a few seconds with suddenly with a resounding pop the lid flew open.

Inside were more folders. "Can we seriously not get away from those stupid files?" Naruto threw the box back onto the desk and threw his arms in the air with frustration.

Sakura picked up the box and opened the first folder.

"N…Naruto… who are these people?" She had laid the open folders onto the desk and Naruto glanced at the first one.

Pictured was a woman about twenty-two years old with beautiful blonde hair and amber eyes. A red seal was stamped over her information and written underneath it was: Alibi: Presumed Dead.

The next folder was another woman with long brown hair with the same red seal and Alibi: Presumed Dead by Suicide. In fact every folder was dedicated to a kunoichi, all with red stamps and "alibis".

"Have you ever seen these people Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, looking through the rest of the folders in shock. She only shook her head for she was lost for words.

"The real question is, why are these being hidden?" Naruto and Sakura exchanged a suspicious look.

"What are you doing?" A voice startled them back from the folders and they looked up to see the very serious face of the Hokage narrowing her eyes at them.

"We…we… we were just doing what you asked us to Grandma Tsunade!" Naruto laughed nervously, feigning to be busy by picking up a pile of folders.

But Sakura was not to be intimidated and she quickly swallowed before holding up the box of folders, "Tsunade-sama, who are they?"


	7. Chapter 5

"Let's set up camp here tonight." I paused in the middle of a small clearing before untying my sleeping roll from my pack.

"Okay." Yuzuki quickly followed suit and before long we had set up our beds around a small fire. I took out my provision which consisted of a few dry biscuits and strips of salted and dried meat. Yuzuki had some biscuits too and a small bowl with a salad in it.

"Do you eat meat?" I asked her and she shook her head.

"No my entire family is vegetarian."

I nodded. "At least you're not vegan. I don't understand how those people live." I say lightly and she laughs slightly.

"So how was being on a team with Akari and Masumi?" I asked her after taking a bite of the dry baked dough and choking it down with a sip of water.

"Okay, Akari is kind of scary."

"What do you mean scary?" I asked.

"I don't know. She's… loud…"

I laughed. "It's okay Yuzuki, you can tell me that she's an over-confident annoying bitch who doesn't know when to shut up and you wish you could kick her ass."

She laughed heartily at that. "Okay, that practically sums it up. But Masumi is nice at least."

"I'm trying to get her to do her own thing. Sometimes she follows Akari too much, and that isn't always a good thing."

We sit in comfortable silence for a moment watching the flames flicker and dance in the falling light.

"So, how long have you and Natsuye and the others known each other?" Yuzuki asked.

I shook my head, "Before birth. Our mothers were friends and were pregnant all at the same time. Then we were all born within two weeks of each other. Tomoko came first, then me. And then Reika and Natsuye were born on the same day. We all went through the Academy together, then Reika and I were on the same team as genin."

"Who joined the Red Corps first?"

I pause, last night's dream popped into my mind and made bile rise in my throat. "Uh, I did. Then Reika right after me. We were genin when we joined. Tommi and Natsuye joined after they became chunin."

"And just like that you gave everything up?" Yuzuki asked, her dark eyes bore into me.

"Yeah I guess. Just like that." I smiled nervously before standing up. "Well we have a big day tomorrow so we better get some sleep. I quickly extinguish the flames and crawl into my bed roll.

"Good night Sarami-san."

"Good night." I say quietly before closing my eyes.

* * *

><p><em>I make my way around the room as quietly as I can. I try to avoid the creaking boards in the floor as I slowly gather my articles of clothing that were strewn around the floor. I have to crawl halfway under the bed to retrieve my headband. I pull my shorts back on and snap my bra on before slipping back into my mesh tank top. I yank a hand through my knotted hair before pulling it into a ponytail. Raidou shifts slightly in his sleep, turning over in the bed. His bare chest is illuminated by the moonlight and I smile slightly, remembering the earlier events of the night. I walk over to the bed and kiss him lightly on the cheek. <em>

_ "I love you." I whisper before standing up and letting myself out of the apartment. Outside I take deep breaths of the cool night air, but I am not alone for long._

_ "You shouldn't keep doing this."_

_I roll my eyes at Natsuye. "Please, like you haven't done it with Genma." I snort._

_She falls into step beside me. "You know what I mean. You can't keep giving his memory of you back to him for a night and then taking it away again."_

_ "Why not? It seems to be working just fine." I shrug and she shakes her head._

_ "Someone's going to get hurt Sar. And I don't want it to be you. Shunka is sending us out tomorrow night."_

_ "Okay, see you then." I say, swiftly brushing her off and taking off into the darkness._

_ "Just get rid of them!" I yell at Tomoko before letting an arrow fly into the chest of one of our attackers. A group of rouges had attacked us near the border. I watch as she lets her broad sword fly into the side of another. Natsuye is fending off two others, her stake pinning one to a tree before slicing the throat of the last one._

_ "Finally." I say as I observe the carnage around us. "Let's get rid of them." I move to pick up one of them but am interrupted by a blood-chilling scream from further into the territory._

_ "There's more?" Natsuye says and we take off towards the screams._

_When we reach the clearing I see that the trees are all on fire and there two figures on the ground. One of them lays face-down without moving but the others rolls around trying to extinguish the flames that engulf his body. I swiftly undo my cloak and place it over the figure trying to pat out the flames. Natsuye has engaged another rogue in combat and I see who looks like Hayate is trying to fend off another. But the rogue knocks him to the ground and before he can deliver the death blow, I send an arrow through his abdomen and he falls backwards._

_ "They need help." Natsuye has found two other shinobi from the village lying a little off to the side. I unroll the person from my cloak and roll him over to face me. The left side of his face is covered in blood. It looks like it has been slashed and there are burn marks tracing from his neck and down where the flames ate away his clothes. I wipe the blood from his face and I can't choke back the scream when I recognize him._

* * *

><p>Morning has come when I jolt out of my dreams. Yuzuki is still sleeping calmly and I take deep breaths to try and expel the visions from my mind. So much for giving everything up 'just like that'.<p> 


End file.
